What a Bath can do
by Pink Purple and Blue Cows
Summary: Before Cluny the Scourge had a huge horde and was more evil than the dark one himself, what did he stand for? r/r please!


Grubclaw was a small ratbabe. He was about four seasons and was walking near his home, slashing at bugs and plants with his dagger when he saw it. It musta been the biggest mud puddle in the world! Grubclaw started to run, throwing his dagger to a side and jumped into the mud puddle, yelling with joy. His brother, Flatnose came running up. Flatnose was a season or so older than Grubclaw. He saw his brother in the mud puddle and jumped in to play. Soon the two brothers were fighting and having a great time, getting covered in mud. Once they were tired, they climbed out of the puddle and lay in the dryer dirt beside it, getting even dirtier, if it was possible. 

'That was fun' said Grubclaw

'I know' said Flatnose 'Want to go…' he trailed off as a figure blocked out the sun.

'Grubclaw! Flatnose! Look at you!' their mother, Shrebladde screamed shrilly 'I just washed you last week! Its bath time!' Screams of protest were yelled, and Grubclaw grabbed at his dagger, but he was to slow. Grabbing each ratbabe by their ear, she hauled them off to a tub filled with about to be used laundry water.

'No mum! You'll kill us!' screamed Flatnose

'You'll scrub us away to nothing!' wailed Grubclaw

Ignoring the cries, pleas, and threats, Shrebladde picked up both babes and dunked them in the water. 

'Help! Glib glub Were being murdered!' cried the babes 

'Nooooooooo' cried Grubclaw 'Soap! Auuuggggggggghh glub hhhhhhhhh!!!!!'

A long while later, two scrubbed little rats, with scowls on their faces were washed and dried by their mother. They had gone through soap, water, sandstone scrubs and everything else that you could use to torture a dibbun during bath time. Then, dressed in clean smokes, they had to stay inside or right beside the shack all day while their mother scrapped the mud out of the washing basin. It had been refilled twice and the water still turned to mud. The day had started good but turned bad. Then suddenly, Flatnose saw an excape. He motioned for Grubclaw to come over and whispered out his plan. Grubclaw got the food, and the two sneaked out of the shacks back by way of a rotten plank. About half and hour later, Shrebladde game inside the shack to let her little ones out. But they weren't there! She saw the hole in the back of the shack and into the woods, getting every one of her friends that lived nearby to search for the missing babes. They weren't found that night. Shrebladde went to sleep worrying. The next day, even more searchers met at Shrebladdes shack to find out were they were to scout. Then suddenly a figure strode out of the early morn mist. It was a giant rat, holding the two babes, whipping his tail bout. His tail was odd, extremely long with a poison barb at the end. 

'Are these your babes?' he asked

'Yes they are. Thank you kind sir!' said Shrebladde, taking the sleeping infants from the tall rat 'May I ask who you are?' 

'Yes, I am known as Cluny. I hope to one day make or take over a fortress to all as the *goodbeasts* call us, vermin, can live in Mossflower in peace' 

'I know just the place sir!' said Shrebladde 'It is called Redwall. But if you are to take it over, you'll need a might horde'

'Yes' said the rat, whipping his tail back and forth 'well, put you little mites to bed. I must go'

'Surely you'll stay for dinner' cried Shrebladde 'Meager as it is'

'No, no, I must go' said Cluny 'And gather a horde'

Shrebladde watched him walk of into the mist, forgetting about the other searchers until they started to talk. 

'Cluny?' One asked

'Cluny' answered another 'but is it The Cluny?'

'Yes' said Shrebladde 'only Cluny would have returned the babes for nothing. Only Cluny wants to help all the rats, stoats, foxes, all the ones considered bad because of our scruffy look and the fact that we have to fight for food because there is so little. The woodlanders have taken almost all of it…!'

'Taken all of what mama? Asked Grubclaw Walking out of the shack, wiping sleep out of his eyes.

'Everything' whispered Shrebladde 'everything'

'What everything?' Grubclaw persisted 

'Most of our food,' said Shrebladde, scooping Grubclaw up 'so we have to fight ourselves to get it. And our land, so were always on the move. We have to go soon to Grub, or the Redwallers will come.'

'Not the Redwallers!' said Grubclaw, cringing at the name. He had heard the stories of what the Redwallers did to a beast, cutting them down if they got near their beloved Abbey. 

'And they made us all go armed' continued Shrebladde 'So we can always have a chance to kill them before they kill us. And they killed your daddy'

'I know' said Grubclaw seriously 'They be the vermin, not us!'

'I know' said Shrebladde, hugging Grubclaw 'They killed your older brother and two sisters, your daddy and uncle, all of them. Were the only ones left. Out of a traveling band of five hundred, were the only three left…' 


End file.
